Celebrate the Fabled Inti Raymi Sun Festival in Cusco

The biggest yearly event in Cusco, the Inti Raymi Sun Festival, is almost here! The Inti Raymi Sun Festival has been celebrated each Winter Solstice since the ascendancy of the Inca. From the different regions of Peru, the faithful gathered to honor the Sun God, the Pachamama Earth Mother, and the Sapa Inca with sacrifices, to divine the future, and to celebrate abundance. Fasting was followed by feasting, and the night ended with dancing around bonfires.

The Spanish banned the Inti Raymi celebrations in the 1570s, pushing them underground and almost into obscurity. It was reborn in 1944, largely based on historic chronicles. Today, it’s the second largest festival in South America, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors to Cusco each year.

Actors are chosen throughout the year, and costumes are carefully prepared, with golden and silver ornaments denoting rank among the nobles and high priests. Nowadays, the proceedings are theatrical, but based on ancient traditions rooted in the time when Inti Raymi was the most important of Incan ceremonies and marked the new year.

During the same week as Inti Raymi, there will be the singularly Cuzqueñan Corpus Christi celebrations, the anniversary of Cusco with its parades and the Night of Lights and Sound, and the Chiriuchu food fair. (Because all of July is packed with events, from street fairs and concerts to parades, we’ll be posting a separate and more complete program here as a follow-up to this post.)

The published 2014 program is as follows:

Tuesday, June 24th

00:00 Hymn of Cusco Performed by the 5th Mountain Brigade (Plaza de Armas)
06:00 21 Gun Salute by the 5th Mountain Brigade (Plaza de Armas)
08:15 Raising of the Flag – Announcement of the Sun Festival with Shell Horns (Plaza de Armas)
08:30 Mass and Te Deum at the Basilica Cathedral

09:00 Sun Greeting at Qorikancha Temple on Avenida El Sol
Qorikancha, the ancient Temple of Sun, today provides a base for the Santo Domingo church. Here, the Sapa Inca will enact the sun ritual in Quechua. Afterwards, he will be borne away in procession to Sacsayhuaman Fortress, with a stop in Cusco’s main square, the Plaza de Armas. Along the way, women sweep the streets of evil spirits while others strew flower petals and others pray, play music, or dance. The Sapa Inca and his counterpart Mama Occllo are borne on a golden throne (a replica of the original, which weighed about 130lbs). Other participants dress as snakes, pumas, and condors- the animals which represented to the Inca the lower, the present, and the upper world.

10:30 Meeting of the Times at the Plaza de Armas In a modern addition to the celebration, the Sapa Inca perfoms a coca leaf ritual and addresses the Mayor of Cusco with political exhortations from the top of his ushnu ceremonial platform. It will take about 45 minutes, after which the procession will take to the streets again, this time climbing up towards the fortress.

13:45 Central Ceremony on Chukipanpa Explanade at Saqsaywaman Fortress
The central ceremonies at Sacsayhuaman Fortress overlooking Cusco last several hours. Representatives from the different regions of the empire offer their reports, and then rites involving fermented chicha corn beer, sacred fire, and a simulated llama sacrifice (with divining from its entrails) are performed. Stacks of straw are set alight and celebrants dance around them in a moment of jubilation. (In ancient times, fires were prohibited on this day until these evening fires.)
Entry to the fortress is free, rental chairs are available, and food and drink vendors abound. Tickets must be bought in advance for reserved seats, which guarantee that you’ll actually be able to see and hear the events. (Although many opt to accommodate themselves outside the cordoned-off seating areas, even along the surrounding hillsides, it is difficult to truly capture the proceedings without a ticket.) Tickets are sold for three different viewing platforms; they cost from US$80 to US$115 and include the official script in 3 languages and a DVD about the ceremony. About 3,800 spectators are permitted.